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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cap — a hat
  3. face — to point toward
  4. press — to push
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. face — to confront
  7. stock — goods
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. face — part of the head
  10. mate — a partner
  11. plane — a tool
  12. bat — the animal
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. stock — shares
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mate — a friend
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. mate — to breed
  22. cap — a lid
  23. press — a publisher
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com